Folding-machine.



A. B. WALES.

FOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16. I916.

Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

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ALFRED B. WALES, 0F WHITMAN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 LORENZ IVIUTHER,

0F NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

FOLDING-MACHINE.

Application filed June 16, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED B. WALES, a citizen of the United States, residing in Whitman, county of Plymouth, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding-Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the drawings accompanying the same and forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to folding machines for folding over the edge of flexible sheet material.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a folding machine arranged to fold a binding material around the edge of a boot or shoe upper and press the material upon the surface of the boot or shoe part so it will adhere thereto; it being understood that the surfaces of the shoe part, or the binding material, or both, have been coated with cement previous to the folding opera tion.

Another object of my invention is to so construct and arrange the folding and feed ing mechanism of my machine that binding material may be folded around, in and out curved edges thereof, as well as straight edges with equal facility.

Another object of my invention is to so form-and arrange the feeding, fold-turning and pressing devices that they may be located close to each other the better to fold convex or concave curves of small radii.

A further object of my invention is to combine two or more of the following elements now found in folding machines, to wit: the presser-foot, guide, folding-block and fold-presser in one or more elements, thus to reduce the number of parts and the better coiirdinate the functions heretofore performed by the four separate instrumenta-lities. t has been the practice heretofore to fold by hand the binding material around the edges of boot and shoe parts, pumps, slippers, and the like, which operation was a slow and expensive one. The hand-fold.- ing operation was not only slow and expensive, but the work done was uneven and the binding material wrinkled or puckered more or less at the edges and showed an unequal margin. Binding material folded on my folding machine presents a smooth edge and Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. T2, rare.

Serial No. 104,087.

an even Width of margin; particularly is this true when used on curved edges.

Other objects of my invention will be fully pointed out in the description which follows In the drawings forming a part of this specification-Figure 1 is an end elevation of the feeding and folding instrumentalities forming part of my invention as applied to a folding machine such as is shown in the application of William F Lautenschlager, filed June 21, 1911, Serial No. (334,485. The parts other than the presscr-foot, foldpressing. edge-turning and guiding mechanism are the same as are illustrated in the said Lautenschlager application, so that the mechanism for operating the feeding, foldpresser, presser-foot, guide and edge-turning block need not be described; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of my improved device with the work-support cut away on line 22, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an isometric projection of the element which combines the presser-foot, guide, folthturning device and fold-pressing device in one, as shown in Figs. 1 and .2, and which is intended to better illustrate its peculiar constructionyliig. at is a front elevation of the part shown in Fig. 3 so as to more clearly illustrate the guiding and fold-turning portion of this element; Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. a; Fig. 6 is intended to'illustrate a shoe vamp having the binding material attached to its edge preparatory to the folding operation for folding it around the edge; Fig. 7 is a cross section taken through line G6 Fig. 6 to show the manner in which the binding material has been secured to the edge of a boot or shoe part preparatory to the folding of the binding material around its edge; Fig. 8 illustrates the position of the binding material on the edge of a boot or shoe part after it has been fold-ed around the edge by the folding machine; and Fig. 9 illustrates the position the binding mate rial. occupies when placed .in the machine; 2. 6., the binding material is flattened out and held in a position in substantially the same plane as the boot or shoe part, as is shown in full lines.

In the drawings, 1 is the lower part of the frame of the machine forming the worls support. The upper part 2 of the. frame has the feeding, fold-pressing, presser-foot, guide and folding block mounted thereon so as to leave the table clear of obstructions. The feeding-foot 3 is substantially of the same construction as shown in the Lautenschlager application Serial No. 634,485, and is what is termed a four-motioned feed; a. 6., it has an up and down movement imparted to it by the rocker-arm 4 and the connecting link 5 operating upon the stud 6 which is secured in the collar 7 attached to the upper end 8 of the feed-foot 3 so that the rocking movement of the rocker-arm 4 is communicated through the link 5, stud 6, and collar 7 to the shaft 8 and the feed-foot 3 to move the said feed-foot up and down. This rocker-arm 4 is mounted upon the shaft 9, the shaft 9 being oscillated by mechanism not shown, but fully described in the said Lautenschlager application.

The feed-foot 3 has a backward and forward movement imparted to it by a rockingshaft 10 through the medium of the housing 11 secured to said rocking-shaft 10, its outer end having secured thereto the housing 12 in which is mounted the shaft 8 of the feed-foot 3. The shaft 10 has imparted to it an oscillating movement, communicated to the feed-foot shaft 8 through the medium of the housings 11 and 12 so that the up and down forward and back movement of the feed-foot will feed the material progressively step by step to the guiding and fold-pressing and fold-turning elements.

The edge of the shoe part is fed against and guided by the down-turned portion 13 of the arm 14. In folding the binding material around the edge of a shoe part the boot or shoe part 15 is pressed up against the guide 13, the edge 16 is guided by the part 13 against which it and the binding material 17 bears, the binding material standing approximately perpendicular to the plane of the boot or shoe part 15, as is shown in dotted lines Fig. 9. As the work progresses the edge 17 is bent over and comes under the fold-presser portion 18 and is pressed down upon the material, as shown in Fig. 8. This folding and pressing operation takes part progressively as the material is fed through the machine step by step.

The combined guide, presser-foot, edgeturning or folding and fold-pressing instrumentalities formed on the end of the lever 14 areoperated from the shaft 9. The operation is as follows :The part 14 has a shaft 19 which has a bearing in the portion 20 of the frame 2 so as to oscillate therein. Secured in the perpendicular portion 21 is a threaded screw 22 having a check-nut 23, and having a hole in its end in which is mounted a spiral spring 24. This spring 24 1s a compressible spring and it bears against the block 25 secured in the portion 26 which is mounted upon the end of the shaft 9 and is secured thereto against rotation.

The operation of the member 14 is as follows :As the part 26 oscillates laterally it bears against the spring 24 and lifts the fold-presser end 18 from off the material. This lifting action at the same time compresses the spring 27 which is secured in the end of a threaded adjusting screw 28. At the time the fold-presser 18 is lifted the feeding-foot 3 performs its feeding operation. At the moment the feed-foot 3 stops its forward feeding movement the part 26 oscillates to the right, as shown in Fig. 1, releasing the compression on the spring 24 and allows the fold-presser to come down upon the work, it being pressed down upon the work by the tension of the spiral spring 27, the pressure of which can be adjusted by means of the screw 28, the fold-presser remaining in contact and pressing upon the material while the feed-foot lifts and moves backward to the right, as shown in Fig. 2, and moves downward to contact with the material.

As viewed in-Fig. 4, it will be observed that the slant on the forward end of the guide 13 and fold-presser 18 is such as to turn over the binding material so it will lie fiat upon the top of the boot or shoe part around the edge of which it is to be folded. The guide 13 and fold-presser 18 thus serving as a guide and fold-presser and a foldturning block. Not only does this part 18 serve the two purposes mentioned but it serves the additional purpose of a presserfoot to retain the material in place or against movement while the feed-foot is moving up and back preparatory to the next feeding step. Thus it is seen that the end of the part 14 serves the four purposes of a guide, a nresser-foot, a fold-turning instrumentality and a fold-pressing instrumentality. I donot limit myself to the combination of all four of these instrumentalities in one element, for if my machine should be used to fold the edge of material other than binding material, the guide 13 may be cut off and a separate guide may be provided. Likewise, I may find it advisable to use a separate fold-turning block, thus using the end 18 as a resser-foot and fold-presser combined. This change will be readily understood by any mechanic versed in the art of folding machines.

As before stated, I do not limit my invention to the specific form of the uiding, fold -turning, presserfoot and fol -pressing elements as shown, as the form and arrangement of this element may be changed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is 1. In a folding machine, the combination of means for feeding the material with a movable member having formed thereon means for guiding, turning the edge, foldpressing and retaining the material stationary between the feeding movements.

2. In a folding machine, the combination of means for feeding the material, with a movable member having portions thereof formed respectively for turning over the edge of the material and for pressing .it upon the body of the material.

3. In a folding machine, the combination of means for feeding the material, with a movable member having formed thereon means for retaining the material stationary between its feeding movements and for turning over and pressing the folded edge upon the body of the material.

4. In a folding machine, the combination of feeding means with a movable member having formed thereon means for guiding the edge of the material, for turning over the edge of the material and for pressing the turned over edge upon the body of the material.

5. In a folding'machine, the combination of means for feeding the material with a movable member having formed thereon means for guiding the material, for pressing the turned over edge upon the body of the material and for holding the material stationary between the feeding movements thereof.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this the 2nd day of June,

ALFRED B. IZII ALITIS: Witnesses:

R. P. ELLIOTT, GEO. D. SoULE. 

